Third to peter olson



(No Model.)

A. W. PETERSON. AUTOMATIC CRADLE.

No. 585,852. Patented July 6, 1897.

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AUGUST IV. PETERSON, OF MELROSE PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- TIIIRD ,TO PETER OLSON, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC CRADLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersIatent No. 585,852, dated July 6, 1897. Application filed March 1, 1897. $eria1No. 625,593. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, AUGUST W. PETERSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Melrose Park,,in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Automatic Oradles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The object of my invention is to provide a swinging cradle which can be swung by spring-actuated mechanism without requiring constant personal attention and which can be stopped whenever desired without other effort than is required to start or stop a cradle. This I accomplish by a cradle supported by suitable pendulums. depending from a rock-shaft, which latter is rocked by a crown-ratchet engaging with pallets projecting up from said roc'lcshaft, and springactuated mechanism operating said ratchet, substantially as hereinafter fully described, and asillustrated in the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of the upper part of the same broken away from the lower part thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan View thereof with the top of the case removed so as to expose the actuating mechanism. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the underneath of the central portion of said case.

In the drawings, A A represent two corresponding uprights placed at each end of the cradle and supporting the case B, containing the actuating mechanism. These uprights are provided with suitable feet and are connected by a rail (1, which comes just below the cradle, and the case B, which they support on their upper ends, preferably extends from end to end of the cradle, forming, as it were, a canopy, from the sides of which ourtains or netting may be hung.

Near each end 1 secure to the under side of case B correspondinghangers bb, the lower ends of which are provided with open bearings for the knife-edge journals of the longitudinal rock-shaft O. The cradle D, which may be of any suitable design, is suspended from the rock-shaft O by means of the pendulum-bars c c, which are secured to and hang from rock-shaft O, near the bearings thereof, as shown. v

Near the center of length of the rock-shaft O are two pallets cl 61, consisting of two corresponding vertical arms secured torand projecting up from said rock-shaft, one from one side thereof and the other from the other side. These pallets d are engaged by the spurs of the crown-ratchet D at points located diametrically opposite each other, after the manner of an escapement-movement. The spindle, on the lowerend of which this ratchetD is secured, is journaled in the bottom of the case B, about the center of length thereof, andhas a pinion E on its upper end within said case, which is engaged by the gear F, loosely mounted on a shaft f, suitably journaled therein. Above this gear a ratchet G is secured to said shaft f, which is engaged by the spring-actuated pawl h, pivoted to the adjacent side of gear F, and above said ratchet G is a spool or drum H. On this drum is wound a strong cord I, which leads direct therefrom to and is wound in the concaved or grooved periphery of the main spring-wheel K, secured to and wound around the shaft of which, in the usual manner, is a main spiral spring 70. The upper end of shaft f extends up through the top of case B and has its upper end made square in cross-section, so as to receive over it the correspondingly-cored shank of a suitable crank or key. Now when, with the aidof such crank or key, the shaft f is turned so as to wind the cord onthe spool or drum II said cord, unwinds from wheel K and winds up spring in. The winding of the cord on said drum does not, however, affect gear F, because the teeth of the ratchet slip under pawl it. When the cord unwinds from said drum II, however, it moves gear F with it, and gear F actuates pinion E and crownratchet D. Ratchet D engages one pallet and pushes the same in one direction and then the pallet located diametrically opposite and pushes the same in the opposite direction. This alternate engagement of the pallet after the cradle has once been started swinging by hand will keep the same swinging; but when the swin gin g of the cradle is stopped the pressure of the teeth of ratchetD on the pallet is tuated thereby, drum H, cord I connecting notsnfficient tostartthesame independently, said wheel and drum, a ratchet G, gear F, and in consequence it remains stationary. V pawl h pivoted thereon and engaging ratchet What I claim as new is G, pinion E actuated by said gear and crown- I5 5 The combination with a cradle, pendulnins ratchet D on the same spindle as pinion E on the lower ends of Which said cradle is sethe teeth of which engage said pallets, as and cured, a rock-shaft from which said pendu for the purpose set forth.

lums hang, and correspondingpallets project- AUGUST W. PETERSON. ing up from said shaft, of a suitably-sup- Witnesses:

1o ported overhead case, hangers depending PETER OLSON,

therefrom, a mainspring, a grooved wheel ac- FRANK D. THOMASON. 

